Potato planting machine



Filed March 25, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet Inventor huh A ttorney Inventor Attorney 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,fl/mrZes Eddie/775372 Bygg C. EDDLEMAN POTATO PLANTING MACHINE Filed March 25, 1930 Jan. 5, 1932.

Jan. 5, 1932. Q EDDLEMAN 1,839,957

POTATO PLANT I NG MACHINE Filed March 25, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 In ventor A itorney Filed March 25, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inventor ,/mriea EddZammz,

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A iiorney Patented Jan. 1932 I uurrsn STATES. PATENT o ics CHARLES EDDLEMAN, or ANNA, ILLmozs rora'ro rrian'rmo MACHINE Application filed March as, 1930. Serial No. 438,795.

This invention relates to an improved agriserves to connect these end portions together. cultural machine which is especially, but not This front end arrangement facilitates travel necessarily adapted for setting and planting over thorough ground. At the front end is a sweet potato plants on the crown or crest horizontal platform 16 which is adapted to portion of a mound or ridge. accommodate a box, basket, bucket or the 55 Briefly stated, the improved machine comlike containing thesm'all plants. prises a sled which is adapted to be drawn There is a forwardly inclinedupright 17 at along the ridge by suitable draft means. This he front of generalV-shaped configuration sled includes spaced runners which straddle and the companion members 18 of this are the ridge. The sled is provided with approbolted together and serve to accommodate 60 priate appurtenances and devices to facilian embracing and reinforcing metal strap tatc distribution, setting and planting of the device 19. The rear upright 20 is somewhat small sweet potato plants. the same in construction andincludes comln carrying the invention into practice, .plemental parts 21 whichserve to accommo- 15 I have evolved and produced a suitable sled date the protecting and bracing metal which is adapted to accommodate the driver strap 22. I and an attendant, suitable meansbeing pro- The numerals 23 designate a pair of subvided for aiding in efiicient placement of the stantially U-shaped or arched supports to the small slips there also being a comfortably central portions of which a seat board 24 is 29 arranged seat board for the attendant and connected. This seat board is adapted to acbeneath the seat board, a pair of compressing commodate the attendants who distribute the and packing rollers for appropriately condiplants in an obvious manner. The numerals tioning the soil around the plants as they are 25 alongthe outer sides of the runners represet in the crown portion of the ridge. sent rails which serve to render the structure :25 Other features and advantages will become rigithwhich function as depth guards to some,

more readily apparent from the following extent and which serve primarily as footrests description and drawings. for the attendant occupying seat 2A.

In the drawings: The numerals 26 designate outstanding Figure 1 is a side elcvational view of the steps on which the driver stands. The driver complete planting device as constructed in stands here when horses are used as the draft accordance with the present invention. means. Justin front of the step 26 and un-' Figure 2 is a bottom plan view thereof. derneath of the seat board are a. pair of com Figure 3 is a top plan view of the same. plemental ground packing rollers 27 which 7 Figure 4 is a central longitudinal sectional are mounted on the standards 28 carried by i the runners.

Figures 5 and 6 are transverse vertical sec- Atthe front of the structure I providea tions on the line 55 and 6o respectively of pair of peculiarly shaped attaching brackets Fi 4 V 29 whose upper end portions are'bolted to- Figure 7 is a fragmentary 1 erspective view gether to accommodate a draft connecting of the shoe end of the ridge slicer. clevis or coupling loop 30. l

Figure 8 is a detail section taken approjxi- In Figure 4, the reference numeral 31 desmately on the plane of the line 8-8 of Figignates generally a speciallydesigned attachure 4. ment whichincludes an enlarged portion 32 Fig 9, 10, 11 and 12 ar r ti which functions as a shoe, this being spaced 45 views f ee -min of th d tail a suitable distance above the crest of the ridge .5

The portable sled is some six feet in length Sl10W11)- ASSOCiated with this $11.06 is 11 and of suitable proportions and materials. vertical chute and guide device which com- The spaced parallel sideboard or runners 13 prises a pair of spaced parallel flanges 33. have their front ends bevelled upwardly as at Extending forwardly from the shoe 32 is a 14 and at this point is a cross piece 15 which longitudinally bowed cutting blade or shank 34 whose upper end extends through a notch 35 in the front edge of the platform 16 where it is secured to the pivot bolt between the upper ends of the aforesaid bracket 29 as shown. The numeral 36 designates another metal arch which as shown in Figure 5 serves to accommodatea pair of especially shaped braces 37 of the configuration shown in Figure 5 as well as in Figure 9.

The upper downwardly bent ends are fastened to the metal arch 36 and the lower ends are fastened to opposite sides of the device 31.

In operation, a basket or receptacle containing the slips or plants is placed 011 the front platform 16. The planter or attendant occupies the seat 24 and places his feet on the rails 25 in an obvious manner. This puts him in a position to reach into the has ket and to take the plants out as desired. The plants are dropped one by one down into the chute formed by the flanges These plants drop into the groove which is sliced into the crest of the ridge by the advancing knife blades 34-. The shoe 32 glides along the ridge. Then the rollers 27 come along and serve to pack the soil around the small plants sufiiciently tight to hold the small plants in place to take root. As before stated, when the device is horse drawn, the driver straddles the seat 24 and stands on the supporting step 26. Thus as the device is drawn along the ground in the manner of a sled, the plants may be expeditiously placed and properly conditioned and packed. This facilitates planting of sweet potato slips and the like.

From. the foregoing description and drawings, it will be seen that I have evolved and produced a simple and economical sled havmg suitable appliances and devices thereon to faciiltate operation and to expedite service in placing transplanted slips in a mound or ridge in the field.

It is thought that persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates will be able to obtain a clear understanding of the invention after considering the description in connection with the drawings. Therefore, a more lengthy description is regarded as unnecessary.

Minor changes in shape, size, and rearrangement of details comin within the field of invention claimed may be resorted to in actual practice if desired.

I claim:

1. Means for planting plants in ridges comprising a sled having a pair of upwardly converginglv arranged runners and means for connecting the runners together, a pair of spaced rollers supported at the rear of the sled and located above the lower edges of the runners, a furrow opener supported between the runners at the front end of the sled, said opener having its rear part of forked construction and upwardly extending parts connected to the rear end of each prong of the fork for forming a chute thru which the plants are dropped, said opener being arranged above the lower edges of the runners.

2. Means for planting plants in ridges comprising a pair of runners spaced apart and each runner s oping upwardly and inwardly, upright V-shaped frames having their lower parts connected with the outer faces of the runners, a longitudinally extending beam at the outer side of each runner and connected with the lower portions of said frames, a furrow opener located between the front portions of the runners and located above the lower edges thereof, av draft member connected with the front ends of the runners and with said furrow opener, the rear end of said furrow opener being of forked construction and having upwardly extending portions at the ends of the prongs thereof, a brace frame connected with the runners and with portions of said upwardly extending parts, said upwardly extending parts forming a chute for receiving the plants, uprights connected with the rear part of the sled and supporting a. chute, and a pair of spaced rollers supported from the sled and located under the chute, said rollers being arranged above the lower edges of the runners.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CHARLES EDDLEMAN. 

